Rock band Jethro Tull and the Covid pandemic planted the seeds for a budding micro farm in Pittsburg, Kansas (population: 20,646) that is meeting a longstanding need for healthy food access. Leafy Green Farms was founded by Brad Fourby, a Navy veteran and California transplant drawn to opportunity in the Kansas plains. But in a state where the average farm is 781 … [Read more...]
Episode 41: Leafy Green Farms
Brad Fourby is the Founder of Leafy Green Farms based in Pittsburg, Kansas. The farm uses shipping containers and vertical hydroponics to deliver hyperlocal vegetables and herbs to area businesses and residents. The farm grows and harvests weekly all year long. Climate does not affect the farm as it grows many specialty herbs and vegetables not normally available to this … [Read more...]
EsoTerra Cider: Reviving Rural America’s ‘Drink of Choice’
Just off the San Juan Highway — a stunning loop through Southwest Colorado — is a cider works on a mission to change the future of hard cider by digging into its past. EsoTerra is nestled next to the river in Dolores, Colorado (population: 825) in the heart of orchard country. The surrounding area is home to an estimated 6,000 apple orchards, many of which were first planted … [Read more...]
Episode 40: Building a Cider Business in Rural Colorado
Elizabeth Philbrick co-owns EsoTerra Cider with her husband Jared Scott in Dolores, Colorado, population 825. The business crafts hard cider using apples from historic local orchards. Just two years old, the company is finding a foothold reviving what they say was once rural America’s drink of choice. Like with many small businesses, the pandemic created difficult headwinds, … [Read more...]
Drought causing challenges in agriculture, though profits remain high
With a long-term drought plaguing much of California and Northern Nevada, the agriculture industry is adjusting and innovating. “[The drought] is one of the worst we’ve had in history,” said UC Davis Professor and watershed expert Jay Lund. “In some ways, particularly up in the watersheds, because it’s been extra warm, it’s among the driest in history.” Lund added, “Some … [Read more...]